Betty Dukes

Betty Dukes is still an employee of Wal-Mart. If the Supreme Court rules in her favour, it could lead to billions in payouts(AP)
A 60-year-old “greeter” from Wal-Mart is at the centre of the largest sex-discrimination lawsuit in American history – a battle that has become known as “Betty versus Goliath” and is about to reach the country’s highest court.

Betty Dukes alleges that Wal-Mart, which owns Asda in Britain, systematically pays women less than men, and promotes men to higher positions at a faster rate.

The class action will list a series of breaches of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which made it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race or gender.If Wal-Mart is found to have broken the law, compensation payouts could be worth billions of dollars.